Gardaí name woman (50) murdered in Phoenix Park

A WOMAN found stabbed to death in Dublin’s Phoenix Park two weeks ago has been formally named by gardaí. She was Eugenia Bratis, aged 50, from Timisoara in Romania.

Ms Bratis was the mother of two grown-up children in their 20s who are still living in their native Romania.

The murdered woman is believed to have visited Ireland for varying periods over the past two years. She had been seen in recent months begging in Dublin, mainly on O’Connell Bridge and O’Connell Street in the centre of the city. She had never come to the Garda’s attention.

Gardaí believe she regularly came to Ireland specifically to beg and that the money she raised was sent to Romania to assist her family. They are working on the theory that she was living in hostels and occasionally sleeping rough. Gardaí investigating her murder took the unusual step of issuing a photograph of her remains after initial appeals aimed at establishing her identity came to nothing.

A number of days after the picture of her was released, along with photographs of the dead woman’s clothes and personal items, gardaí were contacted by people who believed the remains were those of Ms Bratis.

Gardaí then contacted the authorities in Romania. DNA samples were taken from her family members and flown to Ireland to be cross-checked with DNA from the dead woman. The samples have confirmed her identity.

Ms Bratis’s remains were found by two women out walking at 3.30pm on Wednesday, August 5th in a wooded area off Military Road, between the Phoenix Park’s Chapelizod and Islandbridge gates, near the playing fields known as the 15 acres.

She had been stabbed eight times in the chest, through her jacket and top. Ms Bratis’s remains were fully clothed and there were no signs of any sexual assault. Gardaí believe she was stabbed to death in the spot where her remains were found, most likely in the 24-hour period before the discovery.

Gardaí have appealed to the public for assistance in the investigation and have asked anybody who knew Ms Bratis or who was in contact with her to phone (01) 6667400 or the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111.